The hiring of nonessential employees at various government agencies goes on, while the hospital remains without the physicians, technicians, supplies and equipment it badly needs.
As the recent controversy involving the Commonwealth Port Authority shows, government board members are still overstepping their bounds, making inappropriate decisions or exerting undue influence over contracting and employment decisions, and interfering in ways that may not be legal or good for the agency.
Indeed at CPA, contracting and hiring issues have historically been a bone of contention between the managers and board members, compromising the integrity of the contracting process and eroding public confidence in this agency which is pivotal in immigration and port safety issues. Like other autonomous government agencies, CPA must be operated on the basis of sound business considerations only, but that seems impossible under a setup where politics remains in command.
The Retirement Fund board is another example. For many years, its trustees, usually friends or allies of the sitting governor, have neglected their fiduciary duty and delayed the collection of money owed to the Fund, jeopardizing the agency and its beneficiaries. When one of the trustees decided to run for the top office itself, the Fund plunged deeper into crisis, costing this bankrupt government more money in terms of legal fees, while politicizing what used to be a nonpartisan issue, thus further delaying its resolution.
Next month, we’ll finally find out whether CNMI voters want to move forward or remain stuck in a persistent and ever recurring past.
Unsolicited advice
He must be reminded, however, that the people here are practically hanging on his every word regarding federalization. His “see-saw” statements regarding the delay and the visa waiver program are creating more confusion among those most affected by federalization — the nonresident population and the business sector, both of which are already on the edge of a proverbial cliff.
The CNMI needs more solid information from their congressman, and not just reassurances regarding possibilities.
Volunteerism is alive and well
Volunteerism is crucial to a functioning democracy, and the more residents and citizens involve themselves as volunteers, the closer the CNMI is in making the ideals of democracy real.
